Top priority: Vocations


Roman Catholic bishops in the Caribbean have pledged to give top priority to ways and means of encouraging more vocations to the religious life.
The decision was taken at the recent 54th Annual Plenary Meeting of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) held in Grenada.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting (Message from AEC bishops - May 2) the bishops announced the establishment of an ad hoc committee “to co-ordinate vocation work in the AEC…and is also a response to the present crisis in our respective dioceses”. The committee will deliver its first report to the AEC executive committee in January 2011.
Touching on the current sex scandals now rocking the Church, the communiqué stated,
“As Church leaders in the Caribbean region, in solidarity with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI and the Church Universal, we the bishops, view seriously and with sadness the various reports of clerical sexual abuse. We are ashamed of such regrettable incidents.
“As your bishops, we have established policies for dealing with sexual abuse of minors. We concur with the directives of the Holy See to comply with civil law in reporting all cases of sexual abuse of minors. We are also committed to do all in our power to facilitate the process of healing and the protection of children.”

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